The latest update as of September 1, 2024
70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals - Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park - Clermont, IN
The day started ominously with a several hour rain delay, but after some hard work by the Safety Safari, the track was brought into racing condition, and the fast cars started running. In fact, the entire day was devoted to PRO and Pro Sportsman racing. Our photographer missed the second qualifying session for Top Fuel but got to the track in time for the second go-round for the Funny Cars.
FUNNY CAR - Qualifying Session #2
With track and air conditions better than last night, as the adjusted altitude was down to 2800', air temp at 77 (F) and track temp at 94 (F), expectations for some great performances were almost certain to happen.
(LEFT) It didn't take long for the big numbers to start showing up, as Bob Tasca III really lit up the scoreboard with a brilliant 3.871 - 336.23 that vaulted over Blake Alexander's low e.t. of the first session (3.890), and put Tasca at the top of the list.
(RIGHT) Going in the other direction on his second attempt was Dale "Peanut" Creasy Jr., as he left hard, started heading for the right side wall, and shut off to a 9-second time.
(LEFT) A close look at the windshield of Chris King's Dodge Charger will show a big hole in it, courtesy of a blower explosion on the burnout. It appeared that someone left the throttle stop disconnected and when the rpm's went sky-high, the blower and windshield suffered.
(RIGHT) Following up her first session 3.987 pass with an even better 3.911 - 323.50 allowed Alexis DeJoria to pick up three spots from #8 to #5 in the qualifying order.
(LEFT) Making a full - or almost full - run this time was Ron Capps as he kept the chutes inside their packs most of the way to the finish line. He picked up nearly a tenth in e.t. with a 3.901 - 313.37 showing up on the scoreboards and moved up five positions to #5, bumping DeJoria back a notch.
(RIGHT) Not missing a beat after four years out of a race car, Jack Beckman ran well at his season debut in Brainerd, and continued that here with a strong 3.877 - 329.10 to move up to the #3 rung on the ladder.
Leading the field after the first qualifying session, Blake Alexander had fallen to #4 by the time he came to the starting line for his second pass. The car ran well for the first 500' but was mixing up cylinders and moving around, forcing him to shut down to a 4.262 - 212.36 result. This run was also the first round of the Mission 2Fast2Tasty Funny Car Challenge, which he lost to opponent Chad Green (not shown).
TOP FUEL - Qualifying Session #3
The air and track temps were up from the earlier session, with the track going up 25 degrees, from 94 to 119 (F), while the air only rose four degrees from 77 to 81 (F). Density altitude also rose nearly 300 ft to 3175 ft, but humidty dropped 4% to 77%. Good, but not great conditions for the fuel cars.
(LEFT) Coming into the session at the bottom of the list in the #20 spot, Josh Hart was feeling the pressure to produce on the big stage that is Indy. The Ron Douglas tuned entry did what it had to do, cranking out a solid 3.772 - 326.63 to grab the #12 spot on the ladder, bumping Doug Kalitta out of the field in the process.
(RIGHT) Safely qualified in the #11 spot, Billy "Captain Capco" Torrence didn't have much luck on this run, smoking the tires early and shutting off to a 5.236 - 187.18 result.
(LEFT) After making a great 3.707 pass in the earlier session, that lifted him all the way up to the #2 spot, Tony Stewart slowed down substantially in this go-round. He made a solid, but slower 3.793 - 327.98 pass to finish his day's work.
(RIGHT) Running in the final pair of the round, Justin Ashley was hoping to climb up the ladder from his #7 position. It wasn't to be though as he lost traction around the 600' mark and slowed to a 4.085 - 260.01 clocking. Besides being in the final pair of the session, Ashley won the Mission 2Fast2Tasty Challenge race over opponent Ida Zetterstrom (not shown). And that put a wrap on Top Fuel for the day, with two more chances to qualify or improve their positions tomorrow.
FUNNY CAR - Qualifying Session #3
As the afternoon went on, the track temperature kept climbing from 105 (F) in the previous session to 119 (F) when the 3rd qualifying session began.
(LEFT) After a good first session pass of 4.055 on Friday, Dale Creasy Jr. didn't run well in the earlier session today. He failed to improve on this attempt too, with the tires breaking loose just past the 330' mark, slowing him to a 6-second clocking as he remained in the #14 position on the ladder.
(RIGHT) Getting back to a consistently quick performance, Blake Alexander, laid down a very good 3.915 - 314.31 despite the blower belt breaking near the finish line in the Jim Head owned and tuned Mustang. That kept them in the #4 slot on the qualifying list.
(LEFT) Coming into the session on the bump spot, the Jim Dunn team, with Buddy Hull driving, picked up a few hundredths - but remained on the bubble - as a 4.093 - 313.51 flashed up on the scoreboard.
(RIGHT) Looking to repeat in the heat of the day, Matt Hagan nearly matched his earlier 3.918, good for #8 on the ladder, with a solid 3.951 - 326.32 timeslip.
(LEFT) Solidly in the field in the #7 spot, Alexis DeJoria was looking to repeat her earlier 3-second passes and did just that. She stopped the timers with a good for the conditions 3.969 - 322.96 pass that showed serious consistency in performance.
(RIGHT) Another racer that was looking to repeat his earlier best of 3.877, and stay in the #3 position on the qualifying sheet, was "Fast" Jack Beckman. He nearly matched that earlier effort with a great 3.895 - 327.74 that stood up as the best e.t. of the session.
(LEFT) Unable to move up on the qualifying list as he was already #1, Austin Prock nearly matched Beckman's low e.t. of the round, but fell just four thousandths short, with an excellent 3.899 - 328.46 that was the fastest speed of the session.
(RIGHT) Running in the final pair of the round, and simultaneously, the final round of the Mission 2Fast2Tasty Challenge, J.R. Todd was looking to take the challenge win and lay down a good number towards qualifying. He didn't improve on his earlier 3.918 best, but his 3.953 - 325.22 was consistent and quick enough to turn on the win light over opponent Chad Green (not shown).
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER - Qualifying Session #3 (FINAL)
With just three qualifying sessions, there wasn't a lot of time for teams to dial-in a good qualifying tuneup. Coming into the final round of qualifying, some of the heavy hitters were on the outside, and hoping to get into the field. Included among them were the defending Indy champion, Madison Payne, and #5 in the 2023 national standings, Jackie Fricke.
(LEFT) Down to the last chance to improve, Jared Dreher got off the bump spot with a big improvement from an earlier best of 5.584 to a good 5.355 - 270.81 to jump all the way up the charts to the #5 position in the field.
(RIGHT) With a very good earlier effort of 5.325 that placed her #3 on the ladder, Angelle Sampey stepped up all the way to the top spot with a very quick 5.280 - 274.89 to show that she could run with the best cars in the class.
Running in the final pair of the session, Canada's Shawn Cowie wanted to improve on his #7 placing, based on his earlier best e.t. of 5.352. He did just that, dropping into the 5.20's with a great 5.295 - 273.77 to move into the top quarter of the ladder, in the #3 position.
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR - Qualifying Session #3 (FINAL)
With only 12 cars entered, everyone was qualified, but battling for position(s) was going to be the order of the day in the final qualifying session for the alky floppers.
(LEFT) Sitting at the bottom of the field with a "best" of 10.525, Annie Whiteley was determined to step up and she certainly did, pounding out a very good 5.560 - 264.18 to elevate her to the #4 spot in the field.
(RIGHT) Following his wife in the next pair was Jim Whiteley and he was in a similar situation to her, with a previous 8.957 leaving him at the bottom of the field as he moved into the stage beams. He launched hard but fought to keep the car going straight, pedaled it and finally got it under control to the tune of 5.895 - 249.90 to pick up one spot to #11 on the qualifying sheet.
(LEFT) Another of the heavy hitters having trouble in qualifying was Sean Bellemeur in the Bartone Bros. entry. He came into the final session in the #9
position with a 5.728 e.t. but quickly erased that mark with a good
(RIGHT) Running slower than usual, the Swedish Leander Bros. team, with Ulf Leanders driving was looking to improve on his earlier 5.685 best. He did that, but his 5.648 - 260.41 was only quick enough to hang on to the #9 spot in the order.
Saving the very best for last, the Victoria, BC, Sipos & Davenport entry, with Stan Sipos driving, and legendary Les Davenport tuning, was sitting in the #8 position with a 5.589 best. He not only improved on that but he became the first car into the 5.40's with an excellent 5.493 - 266.58 to claim the top spot in the field. A great way to close qualifying for the Top Alcohol cars.
Here's the photos from Friday's action.
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR - Qualifying Session #1
The first really fast cars of the event made their first qualifying sessions, with the Funny Cars leading the way. Sadly there were only 12 cars in the field.
(LEFT) Making a strong statement with a very good 5.599 - 261.88 pass, Iowa's Chris Foster landed in the #2 spot at the end of the session.
(RIGHT) A familiar face on the national scene, Bob McCosh ran into some serious tire shake, forcing him to shut off and post a 7-second time.
Finishing the session, the "Killer B's" pirate ship, with Sean Bellemeur at the tiller, put down a decent run at 5.787 - 256.65. Decent in that he ran into tire shake, had to pedal, but still managed to get to the finish line as the 5th quickest car of the round.
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER - Qualifying Session #1
With 18 cars in the pits, and only 16 spots available in the field, there was at least a small amount of drama to see who was going to be racing in eliminations. As the cars rolled out of the staging lanes, the track temp was already at 125 (F) and corrected altitude reading over 3600 feet, not the best conditions for great performances.
(LEFT) First out of the lanes was the blower car of Brandon Greco, and he set the tone by laying down a good opening pass of 5.376 - 269.78.
(RIGHT) Less than a year into her driving career, Arizonan Shaundra Blinzler made a good opening pass of 5.452 - 269.19.
(LEFT) Not having a great start to his weekend, Maryland's Dan Dietrich in one of the five blown alcohol cars in the field, stuttered off the line and limped to a 19-second clocking.
(RIGHT) Coming all the way from the West Coast of Canada, perennial championship contender Shawn Cowie rattled the tires hard before the 330' mark and shut down to a 14-second clocking that left him outside the field at the end of the session.
(LEFT) One of the horde of A/Fuel cars in the field, the John Finke owned and tuned car of Jackie Fricke had no luck as the car lurched off the line in a haze of unburned fuel and idled down the track to a 12-second time.
(RIGHT) Having a better result was Pennsylvania's John Ausherman who didn't have a perfect run but managed to crank out a respectable 5.584 - 256.36 to grab the #10 spot on the ladder.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE - Qualifying Session #1
(LEFT) After missing the last four races, Ryan Oehler shook off the rust with a decent 7.097 - 188.28 pass to take the #10 position on the qualifying list.
(RIGHT) Getting some last minute coaching from teammate Matt Smith, the Scrappers Racing rider, Jianna Evaristo, became the first in the session to break into the 6-second zone with a 6.939 e.t. and very fast 198.15 mph. The speed held up as the fastest of the session and the e.t. put her in the #4 rung on the ladder.
PRO STOCK - Qualifying Session #1
Our Pro Stock coverage is rather skimpy as the hard working photographer had to take a break from the oppressive heat and humidity. He did manage to capture veteran Larry Morgan launching on his way to a 6.733 - 205.85 pass that left him outside the qualified field in the #18 slot.
FUNNY CAR - Qualifying Session #1
As the sun dipped down and the lights came on, the staging lanes filled with Nitro Funny Cars, and their longer wheelbased brethren, Top Fuel Dragsters. As the flopper session commenced, the density altitude had dropped to 3300' and the air temp was down to 83 (F). And it would only get better as the session progressed.
(LEFT) Still working on the tuneup, the Chris King team made a huge leap forward with career best numbers of 4.079 - 302.21 on his first pass of the event. To put those numbers in perspective, his previous top speed was only 233 mph.
(RIGHT) Another team that's been working on their tuneup for the better part of two years, the Paul and Dave Richards car made a decent run to the 600' mark before shutting down to a 4.502 - 205.72 clocking.
(LEFT) Jumping to the top of the qualifying sheet with a great 3.901 - 325.53 run was Cruz Pedregon as he opened his account on a high note.
(RIGHT) Not quite matching some of the earlier runs, Paul Lee stopped the timers at 4.004 - 293.28. The numbers were a little less than expected, but he was off the throttle before the finish line.
(LEFT) Sporting a jungle themed "Jackal" wrap, Dan Wilkerson was a little slow early but finished strong with a 313.58 speed, coupled with a decent 4.026 elapsed time.
(RIGHT) Another new look was on the Ron Capps car, with their second annual Indy tribute to the legendary Don "The Snake" Prudhomme. Capps ran strong to the 800' mark before one of the chutes came out, slowing him to a 3.997 - 300.73 that placed him #8 on the list.
(LEFT) And the specialty wraps just kept coming as Matt Hagan had a total "Direct Connection" look on his car. Unfortunately it didn't run as good as it looked as he lost traction before the 660' timing blocks, causing him to lift and coast to a 4.837 - 164.59 that ultimately left him in the first alternate position at the end of the session.
(RIGHT) Closing out the session going side-by-side with points leader Austin Prock (not shown), Bob Tasca III ran strong until getting out of the throttle just past the 660' mark and coasting across the finish stripe with a 4.171 - 230.96 showing on the scoreboard.
TOP FUEL - Qualifying Session #1
There were 20 cars in the lanes and only 16 spots available for the eliminations field. While it was important to put down a good pass under the evening conditions, there were four more qualifying sessions over the next two days to make up for a lack of performance in this first session. After seeing some very good numbers from the Funny Cars, the dragster teams were looking for some very quick and fast runs.
(LEFT) Making only his third appearance of the season, and first since Norwalk in June, Tripp Tatum III" made some great numbers in the first 330' but lost traction just after that point and shut off to a 4.473 at 174.21 mph.
(RIGHT) With similar attendance figures as Tatum, T.J. Zizzo prepared to make a major impression on the Indy fans and did so until just before the finish line. He lost the blower belt shortly after the 660' mark and stopped the timers with a 3.902 at only 266.32 mph.
(LEFT) Three pairs later, Brittany Force dropped a bomb on the field, rocketing to the top of the ladder with a 3.740 - 334.32. To underline those numbers, she was running 292.39 mph at the 660' and 3.017 seconds at that point. Very strong numbers.
(RIGHT) In the next pair, Top Fuel "rookie" Tony Stewart made a good opening run at 3.839 - 319.52 that placed him #8 on the qualifying list.
Next up is Saturday's photo coverage - coming soon